China on Saturday said that its military monitored the passage of Australian and Canadian warships through the Taiwan Strait, criticising their presence in the sensitive waterway as “causing trouble”.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and claims jurisdiction over the body of water that separates the self-ruled island from the Chinese mainland.

“On September 6, the Canadian frigate ‘Quebec’ and the Australian destroyer ‘Brisbane’ transited the Taiwan Strait, causing trouble and provoking,” said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The PLA “organised naval and air forces to monitor and supervise their entire transits, effectively responding and handling the situation”, Shi said in a statement.

“The actions of Canada and Australia send the wrong signals and increase security risks,” he added.

“[Chinese] troops remain on high alert at all times, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability.”

Beijing has ramped up deployment of fighter jets and naval vessels around Taiwan in recent years to press its sovereignty claim, which Taipei rejects.

The United States frequently sends ships through the Taiwan Strait, and several of its Western allies have increased their presence with regular — though less common — transits.

In June, China criticised the United Kingdom for sending a navy patrol vessel through the waterway, saying it “undermined peace and stability”.

 Following setbacks in Operation Sundoor, the Indian government has once again resorted to leveling false allegations against Pakistan.

After the embarrassment of the Pahalgam false flag operation, another fabricated drama has surfaced in Indian media.

According to reports, Indian outlets have claimed—without evidence—that Mumbai Traffic Control Room received fake calls about bombs planted at various locations in the city.

In these baseless reports, attempts have been made once again to link Pakistan with terrorism. Analysts note that India is attempting to malign Pakistan at the international stage despite repeated embarrassments.

Observers believe such self-staged narratives are aimed at diverting attention from India’s internal failures, creating fear among the public, and exploiting the situation for political gain.

Earlier, Indian media had also falsely labeled three Pakistani citizens, traveling to Cambodia for employment, as terrorists. This propaganda, according to experts, reflects an effort to conceal domestic turmoil inside India.

TOKYO: Japan on Saturday heralded the coming-of-age of Prince Hisahito with an elaborate ceremony at the Imperial Palace, where a succession crisis is brewing.

The nephew of Emperor Naruhito, Hisahito received a black silk and lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life.

“Thank you very much for bestowing the crown today at the coming of age ceremony,” Hisahito said.

“I will fulfil my duties, being aware of my responsibilities as an adult member of the imperial family.”

Although the emperor has a daughter — Princess Aiko — the 23-year-old has been sidelined by the royal family’s male-only succession rules.

“As a young member of the Imperial Family, I am determined to fulfil my role,” Hisahito said in March.

Second in line to become emperor after his father, the 19-year-old will appear at the Tokyo palace to pay his respects to gods and ancestors.

Although tradition dictates only a man can carry on the imperial line — which goes back 2,600 years according to legend — opinion polls have shown high public support for a woman taking the throne.

“It makes no difference to me whether a woman becomes the emperor or a man does,” said Tokyo bartender Yuta Hinago.

The 33-year-old felt there could be “room for more flexibility” in the succession rules.

Japan has debated the royal succession for decades, with a key government panel in 2005 recommending that it pass to the oldest child regardless of their sex.

That appeared to pave the way for the emperor’s daughter to rise to the Chrysanthemum Throne, but Hisahito’s birth the following year silenced the debate.

Politicians have been slow to act, “kicking the can down the road,” and delaying a solution with youthful Hisahito in view, said Kenneth Ruoff, director of the Centre for Japanese Studies at Portland State University.

Traditionalists have asserted that the “unbroken imperial line” of male succession is the foundation of Japan, and major changes would divide the nation.

Under the post-war constitution, the royal family holds no political power.

Pressure on women

With royal daughters forced to leave the family after marriage, one modernising proposal would see them continue their public duties after their nuptials.

Conservatives, meanwhile, are pushing for the royal household to bring distant relatives back to the fold.

But it is unclear if those men would be willing to give up their careers and freedom to continue the lineage.

Hisahito said this year he has “not yet thought deeply” about his own marriage prospects, which could be challenging.

Historically, women who wed royals have faced intense pressure to produce sons and have become constant subjects of gossip.

Empress Masako, a former high-flying diplomat, struggled for years with a stress-related illness after joining the household, which some have put down to the pressure to have a boy.

Emperess Emerita Michiko, Naruhito’s mother, also suffered stress-induced illnesses.

Hisahito’s sister, Mako, married her university boyfriend Kei Komuro.

She has faced intense tabloid reporting over claims that Kei’s family had run into financial difficulties, leading the former princess to develop complex post-traumatic stress disorder. The couple left for the United States, where they recently had a baby.

Other members of the royal family are regular subjects of online and media gossip.

Despite broad public support for changing the succession rules, away from the pageantry, people are focused on other issues, such as rising inflation, royal historian Hideya Kawanishi told AFP.

“If people who are generally supportive (of women emperors) become a bit louder, then politicians can become more serious,” said Kawanishi, an associate professor at Nagoya University.

“But when ceremonies end, society, including the media, calms down and moves on.”